This invention relates to interactive music information systems, and more particularly, to interactive music information systems that use two tuners for obtaining in-band data.
Cable, satellite, and broadcast television systems provide viewers with a large number of television channels. Many cable systems also provide digital and analog music channels to their customers. Music program listings and other music application data (e.g., track, title, artist information, etc.) are typically provided by a satellite uplink facility to a number of cable system headends. Each headend distributes the music application data for each music channel to a number of users as part of a data stream. Current music applications limit users to viewing in-band music information for music channels to which the user has tuned. This is because music applications have been implemented that control only a single tuner and because music program related information for each channel is carried in-band on each channel. While the user is tuned to one music channel, the music application cannot tune to another music channel to obtain in-band data and show the user music information carried by the other channel.
Interactive program guides have been developed that provide users with the ability to view music channel information that is sent out-of-band and ahead of the music programming carried on the channels. Such music channel information has included the type of music carried by each channel (e.g., rock, disco, etc.) and the channel's number and call letters, but not song titles or other song specific information. In other program guide systems, program guide data is transmitted in-band and is only available to the program guide when the program guide is tuned to a specific channel (or to one of several specific channels). The program guide typically obtains program guide data when the viewer is not watching television. The program guide may also obtain program guide data when the user is watching one of the channels that carry an in-band data stream. Some manufacturers are manufacturing home television equipment with a second agile tuner. This is primarily to support features such as picture-in-picture (“PIP”), or to allow a viewer to simultaneously watch television and access a data service such as an Internet browser.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an interactive music application that provides users with the opportunity to listen to one music channel while viewing music information for another.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an interactive music application that provides users with the opportunity to simultaneously view in-band music information from a number of music channels.